I'd like to see a not necessarily evil, but kind of on the dark side adventure. Maybe set in the Darklands, involving orcs, drow, goblins and derro.
Also an adventure that feature an old-fashion treasure hunt. One that doesn't involve saving the town/city/nation/region/world. Just greed and power for the PCs.
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I love the adventuring in the past adventures ideas. Either with historic pregens or PC who've somehow traveled back in time. Or are just interacting with the past in some sort of a dream, yet can gain knowledge to use in the present to accomplish some goal.
One more idea:
How about modules, that let us explore Golarions past. Set in a time long gone, where characters help to found Korvosa, or experience an adventure set at the time, when Thassilon crumbles to dust...or during its height. Such stuff would be nice.
I really get into the history of worlds I am running as a DM, and want to share all the details of the past with players. I loved the detailed information in the Forgotten Realms Fall of Myth Drannor boxed set, because it was detailed enough to actually allow me to design a time travel adventure where the players went into the past and participated in historic events. The events were large enough that the players couldn't do something like change the outcome of the war, but for instance, they became attached to one particular village, and were able to save it from destruction (which happened the first time around historically). Something along these lines, specifically set in a major event, like the war with the Whispering Tyrant, where Iomedae is a mortal(!) or being there when the Worldwound opened, etc. These would be great ways to involve the players in the history of Golarion. There would have to be guidelines about events that could not be changed, but otherwise, the players could live history firsthand.
1) Modules that are related to the AP's would be very useful. Modules that allow for play after an AP would be great (this idea seems to be a popular one). I would also be a fan of modules that allow for side treks on AP's to mix things up and make the AP feel more like a sandbox. I understand the difficulty to do this, but if you guys could pull it off, that would be awesome.
This I would buy in a heartbeat. If you made one extra supplement that was just a series of sidetreks and/or several somewhat developed parallel storylines, or a prequel-sequel module for each AP, I think they would sell like hotcakes. This is especially true if the DM wants to switch XP advancement over to medium during an AP.
We had a meeting yesterday discussing the role of the Pathfinder Modules line and how we can improve it. We kicked around a few ideas, but we'd like your input as well (especially subscribers and people who would become subscribers if the Modules line gave you more that you were looking for).
Ideas we discussed at the meeting included:
* more high-level adventures (especially ones you could run after finishing an Adventure Path)
* larger adventures, like "supermodules" (though we aren't sure how we'd fit that into the line, which currently only has 32-page adventures)
Yes to both, especially the supermodules idea. I'd love to see one set around the Temple of the Starstone in Absalom. I get the idea that it's supposed to be the Undermountain/Castle Greyhawk of the setting. I'd say it deserves some coverage.
* prequels or parallel adventures relating to an AP, so your players (who may or may not be playing the same PCs you have active in that AP) get additional information or another perspective on the events of that AP
As I rarely use the pregen PCs, this would be a big help.
* similar to the previous item, but tied to your PCs (such as "you activate a mysterious device and find your souls transported into the bodies of these other people, and you can't return to your own body until you've resolved the adventure with the possessed bodies")* even more unusual one-off adventures, like "everyone plays a goblin" (whether you're defending your lair or going on a raid)
Replace "goblin" with "gnoll", combine the two ideas, and I'd definitely buy a copy. :D
And let me add another vote for the 'adventure on the other planets in Golarion's solar system'. I love swords-and-planet stories, and I think it's a shame that D&D never did any modules to cover the idea.
Director of Game Development
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Can anyone help me find a thread very similar to this one that popped up a few minutes ago?Here ya go. Link.
Wiseass.
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Director of Brand Strategy
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* larger adventures, like "supermodules" (though we aren't sure how we'd fit that into the line, which currently only has 32-page adventures)
Have you guys considered doing one module a year at a higher page count? Perhaps to be released in the winter to counter-balance the glut of releases that tend to come out in August? If subscribers know that one month they'll have a bigger charge and can plan for it, I don't think many would object. Or it could be an annual thing that is independent from the line which subscribers (from any line) could opt in or out of.
I also like all the specific ideas put forth in your OP, and many that fans have suggested (though I will admit, I haven't read the whole thread).
I think playing pregens is awesome, especially if doing so illuminates some part of the world that might not get fleshed out. When we were playing STAP, the GM had us do a one-off session using pregens of people involved in the death of Sasserine's harbormaster. Some wanted him dead, some alive, and two were magic items with high egos who kept changing hands and possessing other players. It was sort of like Royal Rumble and Kill/Save Dr. Lucky all rolled into one. And it gave us an interesting angle at a backstory element of the campaign we might never have thought twice about.
As far as the planetary adventures, I think that sounds awesome, even if it's not one of the psionic ones (at least until you guys do rules for that). Along the same lines, why not set adventures in small locations on other parts of Golarion? Explore the conflict with the indigenous Arcadians in a small colonial/frontier fort a la the Alamo or many western battles between white settlers and Native Americans. Or set something in a remote monastery in Vudra or Tian Xia. If they're not huge set pieces, there's no reason small pockets of the rest of the world can't be developed. Look how much has been done with Falcon's Hollow. Maybe there's a small town in Sarusan that could also act as the setting of a module or two.
I do think that making occasional wacky or experimental adventures would be interesting, though they should be scarce, as too many would dilute the line. But one a year wouldn't be too bad.
I think playing pregens is awesome, especially if doing so illuminates some part of the world that might not get fleshed out.
I'd like to add something to yoda/Mark's idea.
Some players clearly hate using pregen PCs because they want to control the crafting, advancement, and background of their own characters over something handed to them. Meanwhile, some GMs love using pregens because the pre-crafted backgrounds and abilities can connect the PCs more tightly to the adventure's storyline (and set them up for some really cool interaction). Also, it's really quite rare that every player brings the same level of descriptiveness or storytelling dedication in crafting a character that best fits a particular adventure anyway (especially a published adventure vs. a homebrewed one). That's really because they just want to play the PC they've been envisioning for so long, even if it has no reasonable tie-in. Instead, the player is counting on the GM to provide that in the interests of letting him play what he wants.
So, these two goals are sometimes at odds with one another. Is it better for the GM to control the types of characters that get into the game (via pregens or otherwise)? Or does he make concessions and allow the players to play whatever character they like (and figure out how to make them work within a published adventure)? Well, I've been pondering an idea for awhile now that might merge the best of those two approaches. Here goes:
Pregen Idea:
How about providing pregens that the players can run separately (or in addition to) their own PCs? For instance, I believe Erik Mona once talked about a session in "Age of Worms" where he had his players set aside their normal characters. And then he distributed a bunch of "red shirt" NPCs that were 1st level warriors guarding an outpost near the swamp. The adventure session that he ran that night came across more like something straight out of a horror movie as each of those "red shirts" succumbed to the terror of worm-infected zombies. The session concluded with the players gaining insight into what happened at this lonely outpost. And, the next session he ran, they all went back to playing their regular PCs who just happened to encounter that very same outpost.
Giving them a chance to play those other characters allowed them to become even more invested in the storyline of the adventure. Sure, it gave them some player knowledge of what to expect. But, as I understood it, everything wasn't exactly the same at the lonely outpost from how their one-nighter NPCs had experienced it. So, things were still interesting. And, more importantly, it raised the tension level because of the sheer level of horror enacted upon those NPC characters they previously played.
Now, I'm not proposing that an adventure be crafted whereby the pregen PCs are all destined to die at a specific point in the adventure (though, that in itself could be interesting). More precisely, I'm suggesting that it could be worthwhile to provide a set of pregen NPCs (or think of them more as "extra" PCs) that each player gets to select from in addition to their regular character. And then, at specific points in the larger 64-page adventure module, have them use the pregen NPCs to ramp up the tension or otherwise provide further insight into some encounter location or the happenings in the surrounding area before their regular "heroic" PCs arrive on the scene. And, periodically, include other short scenarios throughout the adventure where the players could "switch off" between the two sets of characters.
To me, I think that would be the ultimate in a storytelling adventure. You'd cross back and forth between these two sets of characters who, for the most part, would remain separate from one another...though, their paths could potentially cross in some scenes. And, in fact, the outcome of whatever actions they take upon certain locations should certainly leave signs to the other set of characters.
Now, should that extra set of pregen PCs all be NPC classes like commoners, experts, aristocrats, etc? Maybe. But not necessarily. They could be heroic PCs with regular class levels, as well, if you wanted. It all depends on the type of story and scenario you're trying to tell, I think. But I do believe crafting an adventure like that (though challenging), could really provide a bridge between using pregens and still giving players an opportunity to control the crafting of their own PCs.
I'm not sure how workable that idea could be, particularly given all the constraints on space and what-not in a published adventure. It's almost like designing two adventures in one, of course. And weaving everything together would certainly make for a more challenging writing project for a designer. But I think the payoff could be quite large. And, it would make for some really innovative adventure design.
But that's just my two-cents,
--Neil
Have you guys considered doing one module a year at a higher page count?
Well, we have to consider several things about a product like that:
1) Because we have subscribers, we shouldn't just drop a bigger and more expensive book into the line without notifying them.
2) Or we can make up for it by skipping another month's 32-page adventure, which would allow us to make a 64-page adventure.
3) A 64-page adventure is not double the workload or profitability of a 32-page adventure.
4) There's also the option of just adding another book to the schedule, but that also has impact on points #1 and #4.
The reason I started this thread was because we had a meeting about the modules line and were trying to find out what people wanted to see. Obviously, people have a lot of opinions about this. :) We have the next three modules planned out, so we have some time before we really need to make a decision about any of this discussion. But the point I want everyone to walk away with is we ARE listening to what you have to say... and are trying to figure out the best way to make things happen that would make the greatest number of customers very happy. :)
And yes, modules are a nice way to one-shot some content on an area... and if people like the info on that area, it may incline us to set other products there.
would you consider a hardcover super adventure. I know the plan is to have 2 to 3 hardcover books a year with things like psoinics, asian themed campaigns and whatnot being considered. Would a super adventure be a possiblity in that context?
It's not something we've ruled out, but the difficulty of doing such a product stems from the difference between an adventure and a sourcebook.
For a 320-page sourcebook, you can farm it out in 32- or 64-page chunks and let the authors work independently over a period of 2-3 months, and the developer stitches them together to weed out inconsistencies.
For an adventure, well, let's just say it's more difficult for designer #10 to write his part well if designers 1-9 aren't done with their parts yet, so we have to allocate more design time in the schedule, with the designers spread out more chronologically. It doesn't quite require each designer to work 100% sequentially with no overlap, but it still means the adventure is going to take more time than a comparable-sized sourcebook.
But, that said, we haven't ruled it out. :)
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Perhaps the hardback book could be something like a whole series of miscellaneous adventures set in a common areas, for example 10 adventures of various levels set in Darkmoon Vale for example (not suggesting that as a place, since so many have been staged there already). If, unlike one of the Adventure Paths, the adventures were scattered about and various levels, some even the same set of levels, then it would allow a DM to run a "sandbox" type game that everyone is always talking about and asking for products that support it. Just a thought...
How about an "Against the Slavers" or a "Slave rebellion" style adventure or adventure path? I know you co-wrote the 2e follow up to the great Scourge of the Slavers, but there's actually nothing in 3E or 3P with this theme. There's a number of settings that this would fit with Golarion. You didn't miss the boat since you didn't do it in Osirion or Cheliax products.
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I've said it before and I'll say it again. I want something like DO, D1, D1.5, and D4. I want a series of modules that keep building down (or up if it's a tower!) with each new installment explore a new floor/section of the dungeon.
It doesn't have to be back-to-back monthly, it could be spread out like D0-D4 was. It could be serialized to get it out fast. But I'd rather have that then a series of adventures designed to be played one after another but really don't go together like the 4e adventures or what I fear these new Pathfinder RPG module, Crypt of Everflame is alluding to.
Masks of the Living God is the direct sequel to Crypt of the Everflame. Characters mentioned in Crypt are mentioned again in Masks, and the PCs are given hooks to take them from Crypt to Masks, and to the one after that. They were concepted and written as a trilogy (though they can be played singly).
SKR!
WE WANT BABA YAGA'S HUT!
That would be some total kick-assery.
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Masks of the Living God is the direct sequel to Crypt of the Everflame. Characters mentioned in Crypt are mentioned again in Masks, and the PCs are given hooks to take them from Crypt to Masks, and to the one after that. They were concepted and written as a trilogy (though they can be played singly).
Ah, just a trilogy, that's good news then. :)
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Character driven solo adventures with pre-generated PCs set in various picturesque Pathfinder Chronicle locales!
- A young rogue/assassin growing up in the dirty dark markets of Katapesh, working up his way up from corpse smuggler in the Dark Stalls, to pesh smuggler in Dogtown, to trusted agent of the Unseen Hand acting as double agent for the Pactmasters and Aspis Consortium... (Kind of a Grand Theft Auto set in Golarion.)
- A werewolf-hunting druid in the Darkmoon Veil hiding a terrible secret (the hunter is also infected with lycanthropy; sort of a Blade daywalker thing.)
- An uplander that's been deep baited and enslaved by duergar (drow?) in the Darklands and engineers a slave rebellion and Escape from NY-esque escape to the surface.
Etc etc.